Inside Curiosis R&D : Building Reliable Research Through Automation
Biological research is becoming increasingly data-driven and automation-focused. As experiments grow more complex, scientists seek tools that ensure precision and reproducibility while simplifying everyday workflows.Curiosis develops technologies that address these needs through laboratory automation and imaging systems. Today, we spoke with Minseop Park, Director of Development, about the team’s approach to product development and the direction behind Curiosis’ latest technologies. Q1. Could you introduce yourself and your role at Curiosis?Director Park: I’m Minseop Park, Director of Development at Curiosis. I lead the Development Division within the R&D Headquarters.Our team manages four main projects—digital pathology, automated colony pickers, beauty and medical devices, and cell counters. I serve as the project manager for the MSP™-320 and CPX™ series, overseeing the entire development process.Q2. What are Curiosis’ main product lines?Director Park: Curiosis develops laboratory automation systems under the slogan ‘Innovative solutions maximizing accuracy and productivity’.Our main lines include digital pathology systems, automated colony pickers, live-cell imaging systems, and cell counting and isolation instruments. Among these, live-cell imaging is one of our key focuses, and the Celloger® series represents this area by enabling continuous cell observation inside the incubator. Q3. What led to the development of the Celloger® series?Director Park: The Celloger® series was created to simplify live-cell imaging and make data acquisition more consistent.Researchers often struggled with imaging cells outside the incubator, as frequent handling could affect their condition. Celloger® solves this by allowing imaging directly inside the incubator, maintaining stable culture conditions throughout observation.It supports both brightfield and fluorescence imaging and is ideal for long-term time-lapse observation. This approach defined Curiosis’ focus on developing reliable and user-friendly research tools.🔗 Learn more about Celloger® Live-Cell Imaging Systems Q4. Which Curiosis technologies or products have received the most positive response globally?Director Park: Among Curiosis’ product lineup, the MSP™-320 digital pathology scanner has received particularly strong global recognition.It was honored with six awards in product and UI design at the world’s three major design competitions. It also won the prestigious R&D 100 Award in the United States.These awards evaluate not only design but also usability, stability, and technological innovation—reflecting the product’s strength in both engineering and user experience. Q5. What was the most meaningful moment for you personally during this process?Director Park: The first international design award we received for the MSP™-320 remains one of the most memorable moments in my career.We went through countless trials to balance UI design with technical perfection, and receiving international recognition made all those efforts worthwhile. Also, when researchers at overseas exhibitions said, ‘This is something I’d use in my own lab right away,’ it gave me confidence that we had built something genuinely valuable for real research settings.🔗 Learn more about MSP™-320 Digital Slide Scanner Q6. Could you introduce the CPX™-α and its main features?Director Park: The CPX™-α is an automated colony picker designed to deliver both precision and speed.It uses a high-resolution camera for XY positioning and an ultrasonic sensor for Z-axis correction. The system maintains high accuracy even on uneven agar surfaces and can process over 3,000 colonies per hour.In addition, the CPX™-α features a fully motorized pin control system, enabling researchers to adjust picking depth precisely to their needs. Its user-friendly software allows easy setup of picking parameters, combining precision with convenience. Our goal was to build a system that offers both high accuracy and operational flexibility, ensuring reliable performance in every experiment. Q7. What makes the CPX™-α stand out in research applications?Director Park: The real value of the CPX™-α lies in how it transforms the research cycle itself.In fields such as synthetic biology and microbiology, the overall research speed depends on how quickly and accurately good colonies can be selected. By reducing manual steps and minimizing variability, the CPX™-α enables researchers to streamline workflows and improve consistency across experiments.This, in turn, helps accelerate the Build–Test–Learn* cycle—allowing scientists to focus more on experiment design and data interpretation rather than repetitive picking tasks. Ultimately, users can experience greater efficiency and confidence in their research outcomes.*Build–Test–Learn: An iterative research process in synthetic biology, where scientists continuously design, test, and refine biological systems.🔗 Learn more about CPX™-α Automated Colony Picker Q8. What has been the most challenging part of recent development projects?Director Park: One of our biggest challenges is finding effective ways to incorporate AI into our systems.Our instruments process a large volume of image data, so we need to think carefully about how AI can be applied to improve data quality and usability in real research environments. It’s a process that evolves step by step as we keep improving our systems. Q9. How does your team approach these challenges together?Director Park: We address these challenges by setting shared standards and working closely across teams.The development team focuses on creating well-structured and reliable data, while the software team explores practical ways to apply it in future systems. We also collect feedback from users early in the process to ensure that, once AI is introduced, it truly supports researchers in their daily work. Q10. What skills or attitudes do you find most essential in this process?Director Park: Two qualities are most important — a willingness to keep learning and the ability to collaborate.Because AI is evolving rapidly, it’s essential to stay curious and open to new knowledge. At the same time, collaboration is key. Even if someone isn’t developing AI directly, they should think about how their work connects to it.In the end, real progress comes not from individual expertise alone, but from the synergy created when different areas of expertise come together.Q11. What direction is Curiosis pursuing in the global market?Director Park: Curiosis is pursuing global growth through a focused strategy of specialization and differentiation.Rather than following large corporations, we aim to be chosen by researchers through solutions that stand out in our selected segments. In areas such as digital pathology and colony picking, our technology already demonstrates competitiveness on a global level. Building on this strength, we plan to expand step by step into the broader global market with solutions that deliver clear, research-driven value. Q12. What key values do you consider most important in realizing that vision?Director Park: Two values define Curiosis — Curiosity and Focus.Curiosity drives us to question existing methods and search for better answers. Focus allows us to go deep into our chosen fields and build true expertise instead of spreading ourselves too thin.Together, these two values shape how Curiosis approaches innovation and create the foundation for long-term growth. We sincerely thank Director Minseop Park for sharing his time and insights with us. His perspective offered a clear look into how Curiosis’ R&D team approaches innovation.At Curiosis, our goal has always been to create technologies that make research more reliable, efficient, and meaningful. Every development begins with curiosity and grows through collaboration—values that continue to guide our journey.🌱 Explore opportunities to grow with us → Careers at Curiosis
2025-11-04
